Description

A Numismatic Legend - "The King of Canadian Coins"

George V Specimen 50 Cents 1921, Ottawa mint, KM25a, SP64
PCGS. Enveloped in a rich base of dusky gray-tan patina with some
overlying mauve and olive shades on both sides. On the dentils,
more lively toning exists with a thin ring of gold, blue-green, and
magenta color. A lack of any abrasive post-strike contact marks
help to confirm the present coin's status as a Specimen strike,
while magnified viewing helps to identify two tiny strike-thoughs
in the left obverse field that should serve well as pedigree
markers.

Merely mention the date "1921" and the astute Canadian collector
knows you've got something good. However, mention the "1921 Half
Dollar", and they know you're talking about a legend. Originally
struck in the respectable quantity of 206,398 pieces, all or the
majority of this mintage was never released into circulation due to
waning demand for the denomination. Resultantly, production of half
dollars was suspended for much of the 1920s, only to begin again in
1929. To facilitate this re-introduction, some 480,392 half dollars
in mint reserve, including an amount presumed to be near the entire
mintage of 1921 pieces, were melted for purposes of re-coining the
silver. Today, approximately 75 examples of the 1921 date are
thought to survive with some debate existing as to how many, if not
all of the survivors, are specimen strikes that were made available
to Ottawa mint visitors. So, while not technically the rarest of
the Canadian decimal types, the associated veil of mystery that
surrounds the relatively few survivors makes for as compelling a
story as there is. For this reason, it hasn't been without its
staunch supporters along the way; James E. Charlton, one of most
recognizable names in Canadian numismatics for his early pricing
research, dubbed the coin "The King of Canadian Numismatics." The
name stuck, and as a result, the demand through the decades has
never wavered. Today, collectors with the means to afford such a
prize are well beyond their supply on the market, and no matter the
condition, people line up to own "the King." A true national
treasure, we wish the best of luck to all those who attempt to add
this centerpiece to their collection.From The Prager Collection of Canadian Specimen Coins